Doomsday preppers.

[exdeath]

I keep a glass breaker at work. Make my own emergency exit 3 feet away from me without exposing myself. Its what $10 and I throw it in my desk drawer and forget about it. Vehicle parked within sight of said window. From there I can either flee or gear up and respond.

Little things like that which take a few minutes of thinking and a couple bucks but don't have to consume your life with paranoia.

If I worked in a high rise post 911 you bet your ass I'd also have repelling gear and or a base jumping parachute tucked away, and of course experience using them.

 

[Svnla]

As others said, it is fine to have things to help you/family members during bad weather/unusual circumstances.

I do have a small stack of items (water, food, clothes, defense, etc.) just in case something happens but to spend ten of thousands of dollars or more for "end of the world" situation = a bit nutty/paranoid and waste of time/money.

 

[Doppel]

Wow, they have outdone themselves on this episode, episode 8 of recent season I think. Two guys:

1) Has $130k gun collection (65 guns) in a bank-vault grade safe, immune to military grade explosives. Is so worried about the upcoming civil war that he has his blood drawn every 35 days in case he gets injured and needs it. Also building a large bullet proof third floor on the top of his house to function as a command center.

2) Guy building underground metal bunker to protect against an EMP. Has a trash chute in this for human waste built specifically wide enough to take a body (of one of his family members) because suicide rates in bunkers are high.

 

[Ns1]

Wow, they have outdone themselves on this episode, episode 8 of recent season I think. Two guys:

1) Has $130k gun collection (65 guns) in a bank-vault grade safe, immune to military grade explosives. Is so worried about the upcoming civil war that he has his blood drawn every 35 days in case he gets injured and needs it. Also building a large bullet proof third floor on the top of his house to function as a command center.

2) Guy building underground metal bunker to protect against an EMP. Has a trash chute in this for human waste built specifically wide enough to take a body (of one of his family members) because suicide rates in bunkers are high.

Guy 1 is awesome. The fuck is his day job? The dude is playing fort, except for real.

 

[Doppel]

Guy 1 is awesome. The fuck is his day job? The dude is playing fort, except for real.

i don't think it said. The second guy owns a machine shop. Actually it seems a lot of preppers own their own smallish business and sic their employees on their plans.

Next episode I'm watching now a guy is building a pillbox on his property so that he can rain machine gun fire from his browning machine gun down on the approach to his house. He lives in Texas like a lot of the people on this show.

 

[DrPizza]

So true!

I've not seen the video but one thing I've seen mentioned in this thread which is not correct is the threat of solar flare.

The Carrington Event

That's a 2008 article which mentions a flare from 1859 which are extremely rare but are bound to cause serious problems. Comparing the strongest storms in last 30 years with this would be like making an equivalence between the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake and ones which only rattle the dishes.

Fortunately we have some advanced warning so some preparations can be made, however a Carrington class flare was estimated in a report by Lloyd's and AER to cost 2.3 trillion in damages, and these two are very serious about getting risk right. Imaging if one struck in a cold winter here? One word fits and that's catastrophe. Knowing that I still don't lose any sleep since the risk is still small, but it is in my opinion a factor weighing heavily in favor of moving off grid oriented power schemes as society technology advance.

Unless I'm mistaken, the Carrington class flare risk is overstated. A lot of safeguards are now built into the system - breakers, etc., or so I am to understand.

 

[bignateyk]

Most of these people seem like grown ups trying to play fort...

 

[brainhulk]

Most of these people seem like grown ups trying to play fort...

 

[madoka]

Most of these people seem like grown ups trying to play fort...

I've met four people that were featured on the show. Each one independently said the same thing. Everything is slanted or staged to make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are.

 

[Doppel]

I've met four people that were featured on the show. Each one independently said the same thing. Everything is slanted or staged to make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are.

Although I have no doubt it's true, these people obviously have an essential nuttiness to begin with.

 

[Nintendesert]

This reminds me that I need to get a generator.

 

[allisolm]

I've met four people that were featured on the show. Each one independently said the same thing. Everything is slanted or staged to make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are.

I've seen a few episodes of the show and I'm not sure anything could make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are. Nuts is nuts.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I've seen a few episodes of the show and I'm not sure anything could make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are. Nuts is nuts.

Yeah, these people can't even understand the inherent irrationality of some of the stuff. It'd be like if that one crazy religious woman from wife swap said they edited it to make her look especially insane.

Of course, I wouldn't be surprised to find some of this is fabricated. Like they find someone that has a gun collection and they ask if the person would be game to make an episode and just have fun with it and go overboard for entertainment. They could have them sign NDA's and cut them a decent check to get them to keep from admitting to it.

Unfortunately I doubt they have to resort to that.

 

[madoka]

I've seen a few episodes of the show and I'm not sure anything could make them look more extreme/nutty than they really are. Nuts is nuts.

For example, one of the people I met was survival mom:

http://thesurvivalmom.com

In order to promote herself, she agreed to be on the show. Even though she felt there were many reasons to prep, she was forced to pick just one thing she feared and then the show revolved around that particular fear.

They asked her to bug out of her house so that they could film it, but she told them that it's stupid to try given that they lived in a very populated area and the roads would be instantly jammed. Still, they insisted that they do it for the drama.

I also talked to Tim Ralston, inventor of the crovel and the guy who shot off his finger on the show. Again, he wanted to gain exposure for his product, so he agreed to do all sorts of things he didn't believe in to get on the show.

Remember that college professor that ate off the land in Los Angeles? He is pretty thoughtful in real life, but they edited his piece to make him seem like a whacked out hippie living off of weeds. But he had books to promote, so he did it.

Now don't get me wrong, preppers generally are pretty paranoid and there are a LOT of crazies out there. However, emergency preparedness is not crazy and that's what the majority of "preppers" believe in. But you wouldn't have much of a show without the nut jobs.

 

[darkswordsman17]

For example, one of the people I met was survival mom:

http://thesurvivalmom.com

In order to promote herself, she agreed to be on the show. Even though she felt there were many reasons to prep, she was forced to pick just one thing she feared and then the show revolved around that particular fear.

They asked her to bug out of her house so that they could film it, but she told them that it's stupid to try given that they lived in a very populated area and the roads would be instantly jammed. Still, they insisted that they do it for the drama.

I also talked to Tim Ralston, inventor of the crovel and the guy who shot off his finger on the show. Again, he wanted to gain exposure for his product, so he agreed to do all sorts of things he didn't believe in to get on the show.

Remember that college professor that ate off the land in Los Angeles? He is pretty thoughtful in real life, but they edited his piece to make him seem like a whacked out hippie living off of weeds. But he had books to promote, so he did it.

Now don't get me wrong, preppers generally are pretty paranoid and there are a LOT of crazies out there. However, emergency preparedness is not crazy and that's what the majority of "preppers" believe in. But you wouldn't have much of a show without the nut jobs.

Well if those people are basically doing it just as means to market their stuff so they can exploit the nutty people for their own personal gain they deserve looking like nutbags along with the people they're trying to milk money from.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

. But you wouldn't have much of a show without the nut jobs.

Amen! Keep the crazies coming and America will tune in.

 

[Doppel]

Well if those people are basically doing it just as means to market their stuff so they can exploit the nutty people for their own personal gain they deserve looking like nutbags along with the people they're trying to milk money from.

Agreed.

I take his point though that the show makes them look nuttier than they are, but as I said they start with half a brain to begin with.

Episode 9 of this last season I am on now and there is a guy in Georgia who appears to believe Russians will attack the US, like in red dawn (his example). He and his firefighter friends are training to be a counter-Russian team and fight the russians like they saw in the movie.

 

[alkemyst]

I keep a glass breaker at work. Make my own emergency exit 3 feet away from me without exposing myself. Its what $10 and I throw it in my desk drawer and forget about it. Vehicle parked within sight of said window. From there I can either flee or gear up and respond.

Little things like that which take a few minutes of thinking and a couple bucks but don't have to consume your life with paranoia.

If I worked in a high rise post 911 you bet your ass I'd also have repelling gear and or a base jumping parachute tucked away, and of course experience using them.

I'd say most people would probably cover your vehicle...they probably have thought things out.

 

[IEC]

the EMP Family pissed me off and had me laughing at them. Bottom line is they are practicing bugging out to their super secret safe location which is 3 shipping containers buried in the desert. problem is you dumbfucks is if there is a EMP blast YOUR FUCKING CAR IS NOT GOING TO WORK!!!!!!

That's Hollywood BS, and if you were subjected to a powerful enough EMP that you would need to worry about that your goose is probably cooked by the air blast/shockwave anyways.

.mil doesn't worry too much about cars not working in the event of a EMP attack, and neither should you.

 

[Doppel]

That's Hollywood BS, and if you were subjected to a powerful enough EMP that you would need to worry about that your goose is probably cooked by the air blast/shockwave anyways.

.mil doesn't worry too much about cars not working in the event of a EMP attack, and neither should you.

Not sure the first part is accurate. It's definitely possible to have electromagnetic interference screw electronics up while leaving you completely fine. Some of the people on these shows have EMP proof cars, like old ones...

I am always amused by the obese people obsessed with prepping. 30 hours/week but can't put the food down, it's like an alcoholic obsessed with eating enough nuts.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Okay this one takes the cake. Something is definitely wrong with this guys mental health.

The only one with sense is his 16 year old daughter. The guy spent over 100 thousanddollars on a used tank. To battle a super tsunami. And on top of this he attempts to bury 12 metal cylinders in the ocean as last resort supplies.

The next dude spends over 100k remodeling a junker old pickup into a madmax vehicle, has his house set up for the end of the world, but when there is a forest fire in the distance, the guy panics like a bitch and flees. Lol


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DzGC-sia7K8


I don't get these people, they spend their entire net worth on cans of spaghetti os, bullets/guns and cowering in fear for some ultra rare scenario.

 

[Ns1]

how the fuck does the guy end up with 100 million to begin with? O_O

 

[Hugo Drax]

how the fuck does the guy end up with 100 million to begin with? O_O

Put in million by mistake. Still he blew probably the last of his retirement on that tank.

100k bucks

 

[disappoint]

🙂 I prefer to live in the area of the country where about the worst possible thing that can happen is the power goes out for a couple of days. I have a generator. I keep the tractor filled up (and can get the gas easily from the tractor), a 5 gallon container of gas, and the generator filled up. Good enough for me. I can't recall a time when I had less than 2 or 3 weeks worth of food in the house.

Keep in mind gasoline goes bad after a while of sitting around, use it up and get fresh once every few months or put some fuel stabilizer like Sta-bil in it. Even with the stabilizer you might want not want to keep it around for years. Maybe put a date label on it?

 

[Free_Speech]

the EMP Family pissed me off and had me laughing at them. Bottom line is they are practicing bugging out to their super secret safe location which is 3 shipping containers buried in the desert. problem is you dumbfucks is if there is a EMP blast YOUR FUCKING CAR IS NOT GOING TO WORK!!!!!!

It would if it's an older car with points and a distributor.